The present invention relates generally to the field of munitions, and more specifically to reloadable training ammunition. Law enforcement and military personnel require a need to regularly train in the use of munitions to achieve and maintain proficiency in their deployment. For example, less lethal impact munitions which impart blunt energy to redirect, control or incapacitate aggressive human targets, depends upon accurate shot placement to achieve the desired outcome while minimizing the risk of serious injury. As with any munition fired from a firearm or launcher, accurate and consistent shot placement is only achieved through repetitive training with the actual munitions or realistic training variant.
With the increased use of impact munitions by law enforcement and military forces, as well as the increased number of those forces, there is a need for a cost-effective training munition that matches the performance of the actual munition while allowing the user to easily reload and re-use the training munition in the field. For munitions that incorporate a high/low pressure propulsion system, it is critical to duplicate the features of this propulsion system design in order to achieve the same performance in a reloadable training munition. Many high/low pressure design munitions incorporate blank propellent cartridges that control the exact amount of propellent used, rupture discs of specified thickness, and vent holes of specific diameters. These features must be duplicated to achieve the same projectile velocities and shot-to-shot variation in the reloadable training munition as in the actual munition.
Various types of prior training and reload kits have been marketed and sold that involve reloading the actual munition projectiles into new loaded shell bases. Such designs or kits result in performance approximating the actual munition, but only at a minor cost savings. In order to achieve more of a cost savings, users of these training and reload kits have attempted to reload the shell bases by pressing out the fired blank cartridges and pressing in new cartridges. These efforts have been without success because such an operation needs to be done in a workshop with the proper equipment such as presses and holding fixtures which are not available in the field. The reloading operation consequently was frequently done incorrectly without duplicating the features of the high/low pressure propulsion system, and did not produce consistent performance when firing the projectiles, which decreased the value of the training.
Other prior training systems were developed that employ a reloadable blank cartridge insert that was pushed into the shell base and secured by glue. These systems have had poor results in the field because the glue used to secure the reload can accumulate on the wear face of the blank cartridge primer, in sufficient quantity to cause accidental discharge of the weapon when the breach was closed. In addition, this design did not allow the user to change out the reload in the field without the use of a press.
All current prior reloadable training munition systems share the same problem in that they are not easily reloaded in the field to allow rapid turn-around time and optimum use of training time on the range. To be reloaded properly and safely, these munitions require the use of special equipment and presses, and operations that should be done in a workshop environment. Consequently, a need exists for a reloadable training munition that accurately reproduces the performance of the actual munition, is easily and safely reloaded in the field without the use of specialized equipment, and achieves the goal of significant cost savings.